CHAPTER XXII
NEWS AT LAST
Kenneth Forbes had always been an unusual boy. He had grown up in anunfriendly atmosphere, unloved and uncared for, and resented thisneglect with all the force of his impetuous nature. He had hated AuntJane, and regarded her as cruel and selfish--a fair estimate of hercharacter--until Aunt Jane's nieces taught him to be more considerateand forgiving. Patricia, especially, had exercised a gentler influenceupon the arbitrary youth, and as a consequence they had become staunchfriends.
When the unexpected inheritance of a fortune changed the boy's conditionfrom one of dependence to one of importance he found he had no longerany wrongs to resent; therefore his surly and brusque moods graduallydisappeared, and he became a pleasant companion to those he cared for.With strangers he still remained reserved and suspicious, andoccasionally the old sullen fits would seize him and it was well toavoid his society while they lasted.
On his arrival at Taormina, Kenneth had entered earnestly into thesearch for Uncle John, whom he regarded most affectionately; and, havingpassed the day tramping over the mountains, he would fill the eveningwith discussions and arguments with the nieces concerning the fate oftheir missing uncle.
But as the days dragged wearily away the search slackened and wasfinally abandoned. Kenneth set up his easel in the garden and began topaint old Etna, with its wreath of snow and the soft gray cloud of vaporthat perpetually hovered over it.
"Anyone with half a soul could paint that!" said Patsy; and as a proofof her assertion the boy did very well indeed, except that hisuneasiness on Mr. Merrick's account served to distract him more or less.
Nor was Kenneth the only uneasy one. Mr. Watson, hard-headed man ofresource as he was, grew more and more dejected as he realized theimpossibility of interesting the authorities in the case. The Sicilianofficials were silent and uncommunicative; the Italians whollyindifferent. If strangers came to Taormina and got into difficulties,the government was in no way to blame. It was their duty to toleratetourists, but those all too energetic foreigners must take care ofthemselves.
Probably Mr. Watson would have cabled the State Department at Washingtonfor assistance had he not expected each day to put him in communicationwith his friend, and in the end he congratulated himself upon hispatience. The close of the week brought a sudden and startling change inthe situation.
The girls sat on the shaded terrace one afternoon, watching the pictureof Etna grow under Kenneth's deft touches, when they observed a childapproaching them with shy diffidence. It was a beautiful Sicilian boy,with wonderful brown eyes and a delicate profile. After assuring himselfthat the party of young Americans was quite separate from any stragglingguest of the hotel, the child came near enough to say, in a low tone:
"I have a message from Signor Merrick."
They crowded around him eagerly then, raining questions from every side;but the boy shrank away and said, warningly:
"If we are overheard, signorini mia, it will be very bad. No one mustsuspect that I am here."
"Is my uncle well?" asked Patsy, imploringly.
"Quite well, mees."
"And have you also news of Count Ferralti?" anxiously enquired Louise.
"Oh, Ferralti? He is better. Some teeth are knocked out, but he eatsvery well without them," replied the child, with an amused laugh.
"Where are our friends, my lad?" Kenneth asked.
"I cannot describe the place, signore; but here are letters to explainall." The child produced a bulky package, and after a glance at each, inturn, placed it in Patsy's hands. "Read very secretly, signorini, anddecide your course of action. To-morrow I will come for your answer. Inthe meantime, confide in no one but yourselves. If you are indiscreet,you alone will become the murderers of Signor Merrick and the sad youngFerralti."
"Who are you?" asked Beth, examining the child closely.
"I am called Tato, signorina mia."
"Where do you live?"
"It is all explained in the letters, believe me."
Beth glanced at Patricia, who was examining the package, and now allcrowded around for a glimpse of Uncle John's well-known handwriting. Thewrapper was inscribed:
_"To Miss Doyle, Miss De Graf and Miss Merrick,_ _Hotel Castello-a-Mare, Taormina._ _By the safe hands of Tato."_
Inside were two letters, one addressed to Louise personally. She seizedthis and ran a little distance away, while Beth took Uncle John's letterfrom Patsy's trembling hands, and having opened it read aloud in aclear and composed voice the following:
"My dear Nieces: (and also my dear friends, Silas Watson and Kenneth Forbes, if they are with you) Greeting! You have perhaps been wondering at my absence, which I will explain by saying that I am visiting a noble acquaintance in a very cozy and comfortable retreat which I am sure would look better from a distance. My spirits and health are A No. 1 and it is my intention to return to you as soon as you have executed a little commission for me, which I want you to do exactly as I hereby instruct you. In other words, if you don't execute the commission you will probably execute me.
"I have decided to purchase a valuable antique ring from my host, at a price of fifty thousand dollars, which trifling sum I must have at once to complete the transaction, for until full payment is made I cannot rejoin you. Therefore you must hasten to raise the dough. Here's the programme, my dear girls: One of you must go by first train to Messina and cable Isham, Marvin & Co. to deposit with the New York correspondents of the Banca Commerciale Italiana fifty thousand dollars, and have instructions cabled to the Messina branch of that bank to pay the sum to the written order of John Merrick. This should all be accomplished within twenty-four hours. Present the enclosed order, together with my letter of credit and passport, which will identify my signature, and draw the money in cash. Return with it to Taormina and give it secretly to the boy Tato, who will bring it to me. I will rejoin you within three hours after I have paid for the ring.
"This may seem a strange proceeding to you, my dears, but you must not hesitate to accomplish it--if you love me. Should my old friend Silas Watson be now with you, as I expect him to be, he will assist you to do my bidding, for he will be able to realize, better than I can now explain, how important it is to me.
"Also I beg you to do a like service for Count Ferralti, who is entrusting his personal commission, to Louise. He also must conclude an important purchase before he can return to Taormina.
"More than this I am not permitted to say in this letter. Confide in no stranger, or official of any sort, and act as secretly and quietly as possible. I hope soon to be with you.
"Very affectionately, UNCLE JOHN."
"What does it all mean?" asked Patsy, bewildered, when Beth had finishedreading.
"Why, it is clear enough, I'm sure," said Kenneth. "Uncle John isimprisoned by brigands, and the money he requires is his ransom. We mustget it as soon as possible, you know, and luckily he is so rich that hewon't miss this little draft at all."
Beth sat silent, angrily staring at the letter.
"I suppose," said Patsy, hesitating, "the robbers will do the dear unclesome mischief, if he doesn't pay."
"Just knock him on the head, that's all," said the boy. "But there's noneed to worry. We can get the money easily."
Suddenly Beth jumped up.
"Where's that girl?" she demanded, sharply.
"What girl?"
"Tato."
"Tato, my dear coz, is a boy," answered Kenneth; "and he disappearedages ago."
"You must be blind," said Beth, scornfully, "not to recognize a girlwhen you see one. A boy, indeed!"
"Why, he dressed like a boy," replied Kenneth, hesitatingly.
"So much the more disgraceful," sniffed Beth. "She belongs to thosebrigands, I suppose."
"Looks something like Victo
r Valdi," said Patsy, thoughtfully.
"Il Duca? Of course! I see it myself, now. Patricia, it is that wickedduke who has captured Uncle John."
"I had guessed that," declared Patsy, smiling.
"He must be a handsome rascal," observed Kenneth, "for the child ispretty as a picture."
"He isn't handsome at all," replied Beth; "but there is a look about thechild's eyes that reminds me of him."
"That's it, exactly," agreed Patsy.
Louise now approached them with a white, frightened face.
"Isn't it dreadful!" she moaned. "They are going to kill Ferralti unlesshe gives them thirty thousand dollars."
"And I don't believe he can raise thirty cents," said Patsy, calmly.
"Oh, yes, he can," answered Louise, beginning to cry. "Hi--his--fatheris d--dead, and has left him--a--fortune."
"Don't blubber, Lou," said the boy, chidingly; "in that case your dagofriend is as well off as need be. But I suppose you're afraid theno-account Count won't figure his life is worth thirty thousand dollars.It does seem like an awful price to pay for a foreigner."
"It isn't that," said Louise, striving to control her emotion. "He sayshe hates to be robbed. He wouldn't pay a penny if he could help it."
"Good for the Count! I don't blame him a bit," exclaimed Beth. "It is abeastly shame that free born Americans should be enslaved by a crew ofthieving Sicilians, and obliged to purchase their freedom!"
"True for you," said Kenneth, nodding. "But what are we going to doabout it?"
"Pay, of course," decided Patsy, promptly. "Our Uncle John is tooprecious to be sacrificed for all the money in the world. Come; let's goand find Mr. Watson. We ought not to lose a moment's time."
The lawyer read Uncle John's letter carefully, as well as the one fromCount Ferralti, which Louise confided to him with the request that hekeep the young man's identity a secret for a time, until he could revealit to her cousins in person.
"The only thing to be done," announced Mr. Watson, "is to carry outthese instructions faithfully. We can send the cable messages from here,and in the morning Louise and I will take the train for Messina andremain there until we get the money."
"It's an outrage!" cried Beth.
"Of course, my dear. But it can't be helped. And your uncle is wise totake the matter so cheerfully. After all, it is little enough to payfor one's life and liberty, and our friend is so wealthy that he willnever feel the loss at all."
"It isn't that; it's the principle of the thing that I object to," saidthe girl. "It's downright disgraceful to be robbed so easily."
"To be sure; but the disgrace is Italy's, not ours. Object all you wantto, Beth, dear," continued the old lawyer, smiling at her; "butnevertheless we'll pay as soon as possible, and have done with it. Whatwe want now is your Uncle John, and we want him mighty badly."
"Really, the pirates didn't charge enough for him," added Patsy.
So Mr. Watson sent the cables to John Merrick's bankers and CountFerralti's attorney, and the next morning went with Louise to Messina.
Frascatti drove all the party down the road to the station at Giardini,and as the train pulled out, Beth, who had remained seated in thevictoria with Patricia and Kenneth, suddenly stood up to pull the_vetturino's_ sleeve.
"Tell me, Frascatti," she whispered, "isn't that Il Duca's child?Look--that little one standing in the corner?"
"Why, yes; it is really Tato," answered the man, before he thought todeny it.
"Very well; you may now drive us home," returned Beth, a shade oftriumph in her voice.